


Closed For Football

by Fearlesskiki



Series: Leo & Ney [4]
Category: Football RPF, Real Person Fiction
Genre: Gen, I don't mean to make people cry, I'm Sorry, I'm super sad too, there will be tears, warning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-02
Updated: 2016-07-02
Packaged: 2018-07-18 23:27:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,605
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7335283
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fearlesskiki/pseuds/Fearlesskiki
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Leo breaks down after another defeat.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Closed For Football

**Author's Note:**

> Available in [Russian](https://ficbook.net/readfic/5404842) too! Special thanks to [Evangelina9439](https://ficbook.net/authors/2201929) and her beta [Happy_Barney](https://ficbook.net/authors/1822771)

"No! No way!"

 

Neymar shakes his head vigorously after Leo kicks the ball wide. The final of Copa América has gone into penalties after a 0-0 draw in extra time. None of the players managed to score within the 120 minutes and penalty is the last resort to decide their fate. Lionel Messi, Argentina's skipper is the first one to shoot for his team but sadly he misses the target. This is not looking good for them at all.

 

Neymar hates it whenever a game is decided by penalties. Penalty shootout does not really test a player's skill. Well, no doubt it does requires some form of skill but luck and poker faces play bigger parts in it. Football victories should not be like that. It should be decided by goal scoring, not luck. Even when one wins via penalties, it is not something to be bragged about.

 

Right now Neymar clasps his hand and prays to every god he knows for an Argentina win. His beau deserves at least one trophy in the international tournament. Leo and his teammates have been working hard on it, winning all their previous matches with their best effort. When Neymar open his eyes, he witnesses Lukas misses a shot and his heart sinks. Then, the last Chile player kicks the ball, it goes straight into the goal and it is game over. Chile has won the game. Neymar's heart shatters. This is second to his Brazilian team defeat. Or maybe this is worst. Neymar has no idea as he is unable to think straight anymore.

 

He could see Leo breaks down right after the winner is decided. He himself could not hold back his tears either. The Argentina players have given their all but the results do not reflect it. Sports is just too cruel. There can only be one winner in the end and today Chile is the winner. All the beautiful goals that one scores in the past does not matter anymore. All the previous wins do not come into account when one loses in the final. It is a pity as Argentina had more chances during the 90 minutes game but they unable to convert them into goals.

 

The prize giving ceremony seems long and grueling when you are not on the winning side. It pains whenever one of the Argentina players start to weep and bawl into tears. Neymar is not one of them, but he could feel their pain. Watching the other side lifting the trophy is like a stab to their hearts. It would be easier if they are at home, where they could just shut down the telly pretend the whole thing did not happen. But as the 2nd place finisher, the Argentines are forced to stay and witness the whole prize giving ceremony. Watching the opponents hoisting the trophy and listening to the crowd cheering wild. The reality is cruel.

 

When the ceremony finally ends, Neymar dashes to the tunnel for Leo. He mushes and squishes through the mountains of human, catches his breath after surviving from the ridiculous traffic of fans. He could see Leo giving press interviews at the hallway, looking dejected with watery eyes. He looks like he is going to breakdown again while answering questions from those pesky reporters. They slaughter him slowly with questions that crush the skipper's heart.

 

_Stop it! Stop it! Make it stop!_

 

"That's it for me. I'm done with the national team like I've said before we lost 4 finals and it's just not for me. I tried winning something for the National team. It was my dream. I couldn't do it and it's just not for me. I think it's best for everyone, for me and for many people who want it. The national team is over for me, it's a done decision. I tried many times but did not,"

 

_No, it can't be. No way!_

 

Neymar stumbles to Leo's words. He could not believe what he has just heard. Leo has decided to retire his international career. He steps forward and pulls his beau over to an empty room for a private talk. The Brazilian grabs his boyfriend's arm, gives a pair of stern eyes and says, "Leo, tell me that it's not true!"

 

Leo stares at him silently, tears start to well up the eyes. At last, the Argentinian could not take it anymore. He breaks down and burst into tears. "I can't do it, Ney! I can't do it anymore!"

 

Neymar pulls Leo into a hug where the two of them wrap each other and sob for half an hour. The Brazilian sobs probably more than his beau but he could not care anymore. He understands exactly how Leo feels. Dejected, heartbroken, disappointed are all understatements. It isn't fair when a player as good as him could not win a trophy. It's not fair when a player as hardworking as him is not rewarded. He gave all his heart, blood, and soul into the games and what he will get in return? Dissatisfaction, anger, boos.

 

Despicable.

 

Neymar could easily predict tomorrow's news headline. _'Messi retires after another Copa America final loss', 'Messi gives up trying', 'Messi is not a real leader', 'Messi is a coward', 'Messi is a quitter'..._ Bullshit. They think it is easy to be in Leo's place. They think they know him well.

 

They do not know the kind of pressure that Leo has to face. Being a player of such caliber has to pay a price. He is not only carrying his team but his country as well. Ask every successful athlete and they will tell you that they will not give up easily. They went through countless defeats and injuries to get to where they are. Leo has battled with growth hormone deficiency in his childhood and fights his way to becoming one of the world's top footballer in one of the greatest football team. Leo has made into not once or twice but four major finals. Quitter can't even do tenth percent of what he did. Leo may have been well loved by Barcelona fans but sadly he did not get the same treatment at home. Everyone in Argentina expects Leo to be perfect in every game. But they often forget that Leo is not a robot or superman. He just a human like everybody else. He would make mistakes, he would have bad days, he would fail. And on top of that, football is not an individual sport. It's a team sport. When a team loses, the blame has to go to the team, including the coach and people behind the team. Leo is just merely one of the eleven players on the pitch. Having the world to blame on him alone is just unfair.

 

Leo's biggest critics are none other than his countrymen. His people criticizes him for not performing on the big stages, not able to captain a team. They want him to stop playing for Argentina. The Argentinian association does not even give him much support and having a football icon Diego Maradona, which is also a fellow Argentian to spat on him at every possible opportunity is nasty. Leo does not need those criticisms. He is his own biggest critic. He is disappointed in himself for not scoring that penalty. He is aware that he is letting the team and the country down. He knows that his fans are not proud of him. That is why he choose to leave. People say he is a quitter. But when the people at home are not even supporting him, what is worth of fighting? He is very sure the other Argentina players feel the same. For someone like Leo, who has always loved his country, criticism from home are the hardest thing to receive. Leo had the choice to choose between Argentina and Spain back then but he easily chose Argentina because it is his home. His real home. If Leo had chosen Spain, he probably would not have the same fate and even gotten at least 1 World Cup and 2 Euro. Or at least, the Spaniards will still support him.

 

Leo does not deserve any of those treatments from Argentina. What Leo has achieved with Argentina is already amazing. He has carried the team far. He has won in the U20 and the Olympics. He has gotten into 3 Copa América  and 1 World Cup final. Getting to the finals itself is already an impressive thing. Reaching four times is astounding. Football players spent hours and hours of training, go through a long and winding journey of qualifications, group stages, knockout rounds, quarter-finals, and semi-finals. The opponents are not simple as well. They are not simply average Joes but professional football players like themselves. Neymar would challenge anyone who differs his view.

 

Neymar hugs Leo immesly, telling him that he is still the best player in the world. He understands Leo's retirement is a personal choice and he will definitely respect it. He just wants Leo to be happy, to be able to play football without too much pressure. One thing is for sure. It would be a big loss for football to lose Leo. Trophy or not, Leo is and will always be a hero to Neymar and millions of fans in the world. The Argentinian has achieved wonders in Barcelona, inspiring kids all over the world with his superb agility, an excellent ability to dribble, great positioning, quick reactions, astonishing attacking runs and clever playmaking. He has put a high standard for many to follow. He is the MVP of football.

 

"Please consider, okay?"

**Author's Note:**

> This piece is partly inspired by one of the chapters in Lin Dan's (badminton player) autobiography - Until The End Of World. And then listening to an Ellie Goulding song 'Closed For Love' while writing, hence the new title. Initial title was 'A Player's Worth'.
> 
> I just had a conversation with a friend not too long ago about the cruelty of the sports industry. In sports, there is only one winner and the stakes are higher when it comes to big stages like the World Cup, which only comes once in four years. There are always players lose in tournaments and I always feel sad for them but I never thought I would be that emotional for a football player until this incident. I was in such an emotional mess in the last few days, devastated to hear Leo's loss in the Copa América. Even more about the way he announces his retirement. He deserves at least 1 Copa América. But trophies or not, Leo is and will always be a legend to me.
> 
> If you like it please give me a kudos. Share it with your friends. Please tell me anything in the comments and I will try my very best to improve :) Every kudos, comment, subscription and bookmark means the world to me. Thank you :D
> 
> Yeah, you can follow me on [Tumblr](http://fearlesskiki.tumblr.com/)


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